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Fans gobble up Bison tickets

Single-game tickets for North Dakota State football tickets were devoured by lunch time the first day they went on sale for a second year in a row.

“It really says a lot about our fans, that they’re that passionate,” said Josh Hemingway, NDSU’s director of ticket operations. “We see a lot of the same faces.”

Single-game tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. Friday with a flurry of activity in the first hour.

“The bulk of what we sold was gone in the first hour,” Hemingway said.

Hemingway said the Sept. 20 home game against Montana was one of the hottest tickets. The Oct. 11 homecoming game against Southern Illinois and Nov. 1 home game against South Dakota State also sold fast.

Hemingway said all single-game tickets were sold out around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Last season, all single-game tickets were sold out in less than four hours on the first day they went on sale.

The season-ticket base is a little more than 12,000, which is about the same as last season. Students are allotted 4,000 tickets per game in the Fargodome that seats 18,700 for football. That capacity can exceed 19,000 with standing-room tickets.

The Bison have six home games this season. Indiana State (Oct. 18) and Youngstown State (Nov. 22) were the final two games that sold out Friday.

Hemingway arrived at the Fargodome at about 6 a.m. Friday. He estimated more than 30 people were already waiting in line to buy single-game tickets.

Fans that weren’t able to get tickets Friday are not necessarily shut out.

During the season, NDSU fans can check the day before a home game for returned tickets that would be available for purchase, Hemingway said.

Medical personnel placed a splint on his right leg and he was taken off the court on a stretcher. The rest of the game was canceled.

George’s leg buckled when the Pacers star landed after he fouled Houston’s James Harden on a drive to the basket early in the fourth quarter.

Players immediately reacted and called for medical personnel. George was taken to a Las Vegas hospital after being treated on the court for about 15 minutes.

Report: Johnson suspended for cocaine

ORLANDO (TSX) — The PGA Tour suspended Dustin Johnson for six months after he tested positive for cocaine, Golf.com reported Friday. But the tour issued a response later in the day disputing the report.

According to the website, Johnson failed three drug tests — two for cocaine in 2012 and this year, and one for marijuana in 2009.

“With regard to media reports that Dustin Johnson has been suspended by the PGA Tour, this is to clarify that Mr. Johnson has taken a voluntary leave of absence and is not under a suspension from the PGA Tour,” a tour statement read.

Johnson, 30, was reportedly suspended for the 2012 failed test, but it was never made public. The PGA Tour is not required to announce any disciplinary actions against players who test positive for recreational drugs. Johnson announced that he was taking a leave of absence.

“I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced,” he said in a statement. “By committing the time and resources necessary to improve my mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation, I am confident that I will be better equipped to fulfill my potential and become a consistent champion.”

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996.

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